I don't think thats a sentiment held by every squadron, especially not in the heavy world. My reserve unit hired 3 folks, 2 of us were active duty captains. I think having air force knowledge does give you a slight leg up in that it made me feel more comfortable interacting with everyone, but at the end of the day they just want someone who is qualified and that they can see being stuck with for 10+ years. There were plenty of highly qualified young studs at the interview with us (ivy league college students, engineers, etc) so it’s easy to get some imposter syndrome.
Just focus on making your application as strong as possible, PPL is virtually a requirement at this point, and most importantly network with people at the unit prior. Knowing people at the squadron is 100% what got my average ass to the interview phase.